A new study released by CDC, in collaboration with the Mexican Secretariat of Health (SOH),
the Chihuahua State Department of Health (CDH), the Ciudad Juarez Department of Health (CJDH),
the Texas Department of Health (TDH), and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH),
demonstrated significant differences in the percentage of retailers who illegally sold
cigarettes to minors in three cities located along the U.S.-Mexico border. The study, which
was conducted in January and February 1999, found that the percentages of retailers who
illegally sold cigarettes to minors was 6.1 percent in Las Cruces, New Mexico, 18.0 percent in
El Paso, Texas, and 98.1 percent in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The marked difference in sales
rates between Ciudad Juarez and the two U.S. border cities is possibly due to the enforcement
of minors' access laws and retailer education programs in the United States.

Determination of Nicotine, pH, and Moisture Content of Six U.S. Commercial Moist Snuff
Products — Florida, January - February 1999
The use of smokeless tobacco can cause nicotine addiction.

A new study released by CDC found substantial differences in pH and unprotonated (free)
nicotine in six leading U.S. moist snuff brands. The smokeless tobacco products were purchased
and analyzed from stores throughout Florida (Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando,
Tallahassee, and Tampa/St. Petersburg) from January 5 to February 7, 1999. The study findings
revealed a wide variation in nicotine dosing capabilities among the brands studied. Studies of
nicotine and other addictive drugs suggest that the rate at which drugs are absorbed is an
important determinant of their addiction potential. The Surgeon General concluded over a
decade ago 1) that the use of smokeless tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking
cigarettes and 2) that it can cause addiction, cancer, and other adverse health effects in
humans.

Prenatal Discussion of HIV Testing and Maternal HIV Testing — 14 States, 1995-1997
Health-care providers should routinely counsel all pregnant women, regardless of their risk,
about the benefits of being tested for HIV.

The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that health-care providers routinely counsel all
pregnant women about HIV prevention and encourage them to be tested for HIV infection so that
zidovudine therapy can be initiated, if indicated. The U.S. has seen a dramatic reduction in
mother-to-child HIV transmission rates. However, a survey of recently delivered mothers found
that recollection of a discussion about HIV testing with a prenatal health-care provider in
1997 ranged from 63.4% to 86.7% in 13 states. In 1997, recollection of being tested for HIV
during prenatal care or at the time of delivery ranged from 58% to 80.7% across states. In
most surveyed states, recollection of a testing discussion significantly differed by maternal
race, age, and type of prenatal health-care provider. The results of this study emphasize the
need to increase health-care providers -- especially private sector providers -- awareness of
the importance of HIV testing during prenatal care.